Essential 8+: Taylor Phelan

Courtesy: Right Angle PR

Taylor Phelan was raised within a tight-knit musical family in his home state of Texas and began to play guitar and write his own songs at 16, cutting his teeth at local coffee shops. He started his professional career as the founder and frontman for the Chicago-based alternative band, The Canes. In 2014, Phelan was a favorite contestant on the seventh season of NBC’s hit reality series, The Voice, an experience that revealed his tremendous talent as a solo artist. In 2015, shortly after signing with the indie label, Native Nine Records, Phelan gravitated back to his southern roots and teamed up with Nashville-based producer Joshua D. Niles to work on his first collection of solo material. On June 8th, Phelan released his latest EP, 2 of 2 on June 8th, and here answers his Essential 8+ where he talks about everything from the project to dream venues and collaborators, drinking at gigs and much more!

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
There were a couple of guys early on that taught me how to play guitar and helped me get comfortable on stage but I wouldn’t say I’ve had a “mentor” since then. Now, I learn the most from the people that are making music that resonates with me. My peers unknowingly mentor me and I learn from those just ahead of me. Those people influences the way I think about the industry to my creative process and musical inspirations.

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
As a writer, I always second guess myself so it’s tough to say. I would say that “Talk” felt right from the beginning. Josh Niles and I wrote that together. As we fleshed out the lyrics, there were a few tricky lines but overall, I knew it was a keeper.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
Honestly, no. Haha. At the time of concepting these two halves, I was a big fan of minimalism and keeping things simple. A two part series titled “1” and “2” is about as simple as it gets.

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Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did?
“Settle Down” and “Where Do We Go” are the two newest songs on the first half. They’re the most culturally relevant and explicit tunes I’ve ever written and it just felt right to get them out sooner. For the second half, “Long Way Down” was the first song I wrote with this particular release in mind. It’s got that classic, get-to-the-chorus, anthemic rock vibe and felt like a single from the inception. “Talk” feels like the most foreshadowing song in terms of stylistic direction and “Forever You” is the love song ballad that everyone’s craving.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
“From everywhere” sounds like a cop out but it’s true. My daughters, my wife, a phrase someone says, our political climate, the state of the environment, TV shows, time. You name it.

When/where do you do your best writing?
When I’m sleeping. Honestly, I will dream about a song idea when I’m in that luccid state of sleep. The problem is that voice memos at 2am when you’re mumbling through a melody while trying not to wake up the house never come out as inspiring the next day.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
All of the above.

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
Be honest. With a little success, it’s easy to give into the hype that you’re amazing and somehow different than everyone else. I’m not trying to minimize your originality or inventiveness but regardless of what the press, social media numbers, fans, industry execs, or anyone else has to say about you, you’re still just a tiny human trying to figure out life with the rest of us. Be humble and honest about what that process looks like in your life. Also, just create stuff and don’t overthink it, I guess.

What’s your favorite/”go-to” food on the road?
We’ve implemented a strict Thai food consumption quota that must be met on the road. Also, New York Mediterranean street food will be eaten at least twice a day when we’re there.

Do you have any touring tips?
Book your hotels consistently through the same app or chain. You’ll rack up points and get like “Gold” membership and stuff. Also, tour with people you like and eat your fruits and veggies. Don’t drink too much and lay off the cigarettes so you can breathe in higher altitudes. And for, you know, lung cancer reasons.

What are your “must have” albums for the road?
We just shuffle the music on our phones. We have to listen to whatever comes up.

How do you kill the long hours in the van?
Podcasts.

What’s the most frustrating thing about being on the road?
Being away from my family and being on a completely different schedule than they are. Also, touring over time zones and constantly changing back and forth is the worst.

What do you love most about being on the road?
Everyday something crazy happens. You get a flat tire, meet a weird homeless man, catch up with an old friend, create the best new inside joke with your bandmates, go to Niagra Falls, get stranded in the desert, play a huge show, play for no one, meet new and old fans. It’s amazing.

What has been your biggest struggle so far?
I don’t have management and I’m not signed to a major label with a huge roster to leverage. As an independent artist, finding opportunities to tour with a larger acts has been tough.

What has been your biggest success?
We’re approaching 1.5 million plays in retail and radio within a year. Although that’s not nearly enough to sustain, that’s pretty significant for a developing artist. I think consistent forward motion of any kind is a huge success.

What’s your favorite venue and why?
I’d say Schubas in Chicago. It’s a historic venue with a great sounding room.

What’s your dream venue and why?
Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London. The Killers filmed a live concert their and it looks magical.

Who would you love to collaborate with?
Ryan Tedder, John Mark McMillan, Brandon Flowers, James Bay to name a few

Which song of yours gets the best crowd response?
Depends on the room and crowd but I’d say it’s most consistently “Talk”

Are there any songs you are tired of playing and why?
Not really. Different songs become more excited than others but in general, I like playing everything each night.

Is drinking at gigs a positive or a negative?
I like having a drink or two before going up. It helps me relax and become a little more emotive which allows me to engage with the lyrics more. However, I’d rather have less or none at all than too much.

Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended?
N’sync was the first concert I ever went to. My favorite? The Civil Wars was probably the most breathtaking performance I’ve ever witnessed.

Favorite thing to do on a day off?
If we’re near a beach, that. If not, chill. Although, depending on where the off day falls --beginning or end of tour-- it might be a laundry and errands kind of day.

Have you met any of your heroes? If so, how did it go?
Nah… haven’t met anyone I’d call a “hero” yet. But I don’t know who most people are.

Is there a recent release you cannot stop listening to?
I just recently got hooked on this Nashville artist named Trella. I don’t know much about her but she’s awesome.. We may have some mutual friends! I should probably look into her more before writing about her in an interview.

Song (of yours) you wish you would have released as a single and why?
I’ve mentioned it a few times already but I think the song “Talk” would have made a great single.

Is there a professional “bucket list” item you would love to check off?
I’d love to do a soundtrack for a movie. I’d also love to tour in Europe.

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